High Resolution Arena

[gyrene81]

Thats why a new arena would benefit those who want higher rez and better graphics. And if it was just about dogfighting, then why have clouds and fire to begin with? Prices of computers and video cards are significantly less then they were 3 years ago. And by the way, I do enjoy this game as much as the next guy, but these graphics look like its being played on a 32 bit playstation 1.

you still have no clue what you're talking about...

[The Fugitive]

you still have no clue what you're talking about...

....and this is why the game is going down hill. Todays players come in and learn how hard it is to compete in the air. They are use to jumping into a new game and be able to keep up with everyone else, or build their "character" by running around doing mundane things to increase their strength, magic, agility and so-on. While doing these things they look at the "pretty eye candy". So while they drag along following the horde learning almost nothing they complain about the lack of eye candy, bigger explosions, more smoke, more clouds, more weather, more trees, smaller suns, smaller moons, moons out longer, more ships, better ships, on and on.

This game is about combat. If you fighting, you don't have time to look for these things. IF HTC adds more eye candy they won't bother to make a separate arena for it, they would make it for EVERYONE in the mains. They would also set it up so that players with weaker computers can turn it down and still play, and more importantly PAY their subscription.

HTC is a small company and so things come out of their offices at a slower rate than the "big company's" do. The bad side is we have to wait for them, and some things like "eye candy" that really doesn't add anything to the play of the game are put on the back burner. The good news is the stuff we do get is better than what the big companies throw out, and with a smaller over head we get to play for less. If they doubled the team, don't you think they would double the cost of your subscription?

[Easyscor]

With new customers, it's all about what I call the Wow factor, and without eye candy the initial experience is as dead as the new baby seals' first few fights. Make it a gorgeous environment where those new gaming customers will want to stay.

[Easyscor]

Hey Pyro, any chance we might see 1/4 mile vertices in the terrains any time soon?

[Latrobe]

How good the graphics should be the last thing game companies are worried about. You can make a game with the best graphics anyone has ever seen, but if the gameplay sucks no one will play it. AHII is a brilliantly fun game and I would love to see time spent on adding more planes and vehicles to the game rather than updating graphics.

That's just my opinion though.

[chipr]

to the fugitive:

IF no one cares what they see in the game while dogfighting, then why do people constantly want new skins added? You cant see what the other pilot skin is when your dogfighting. And why do squads bother with nosearts if they are the only ones who will see it? I will tell you why, its because it adds to the realism! Go back to your WoW account


to gyrene:

why post a negative comment and waste space on the server and not even add an opinion of your own?

[Greebo]

The problem with any solution to a problem that splits the player base is that everyone goes where everyone is. So either the new improved graphic arena would draw loads of players and the low quality arena would die or vice versa. Therefore the graphics upgrade would either be a waste of effort or you would be condemning players with older systems to near empty arenas.

Some graphics improvements also affect gameplay. For instance more smoke or clouds or ground clutter would look good but as other players can hide in it most would turn it off given the option to do so. It is also a framerate killer, particularly for older video cards that pass much of the processing for it to the CPU.

Adding new objects like buildings to the game increases the game's download size, mostly for the textures that coat them. Similarly adding a snow or desert set of textures to the base download would cause a big jump in the game's download size since not only all the ground textures but many of the object textures and shapes would have to be redone (snow on the hangar roofs, African towns etc.)

I think there is a way HTC could improve the look of the game and gameplay itself without these problems though. Currently MA terrain designers are not allowed to add their own 3D shapes to the terrain. They have to use the default field and strat shapes you see in every MA terrain. This is because incorrectly designed shapes could crash the server and HTC absolutely can't afford that to happen in the MA.

However there are loads of 3D shapes (buildings, bridges etc.) that are already in the download but that are not cleared for MA use. Some of these could be incorporated into new town and village groups and tested to allow them to be used in MA terrains. These wouldn't increase the download size much as they would be new collections of existing 3D shapes and textures.

Some of these might provide a gameplay boost, like a bridge usable by GVs for instance. Others like railway yards, factories etc. would just add visual interest to the endless green areas that seperate the fields dotted around a terrain. However they could also give GVs something else thats interesting to fight in. They would just have to look different enough to existing object groups to avoid confusing new players too much about which town to bomb.

Designing an MA terrain at present involves lots of slog and relatively little creative payback. You have to use certain objects, lay them out a certain way etc. Giving designers some new toys to play with might encourage more people to design one. Bridges alone would open up lots of possibilities.

[VonMessa]

I would like for everyone that is clamoring for better eye candy to please record their sorties.

We will then send them to Lusche for him to make pie charts that reflect, in reality, the actual amount of time spent looking out the window, admiring the scenery.

I, personally, hardly even notice the graphics except for the trees when I hit them.  I do not play the game for the graphics, I play it for the modeling of the aircraft.

Again, my opinion, I would rather resources be spent upon aircraft/vehicles and the correct modeling of them, as opposed to an arena full of eye candy where every plane handles like a tie fighter.

Greebo makes some valid points.

+1 for the bridge ideas

[The Fugitive]

See Rule #4

[gyrene81]

See Rule #4

[Ruah]

I thought we got a pretty nice graphics upgrade just last year?  Not that I mind more graphics, but a little too soon?

[Skuzzy]

HTC is not going to make better graphics in the near future because they don't have the resources!

Sorry, but your opinion is wrong.

Hey Pyro, any chance we might see 1/4 mile vertices in the terrains any time soon?

The enormous number of vertices to shove to the video card aside (over 14,000 per frame) , there is no way an Intel video chip could handle it at all.

The terrain size would grow an additional 128MB+ as well.  That is not a trivial increase in size.

[PuppetZ]

It is the nature of the beast IMHO. I have yet to see a flight sim with a good looking terrain down low. This is where the low res is most apparent. At alt, it looks gorgeous.

[Chilli]

Thanks Skuzzy and Greebo.  Enough said. 

[The Fugitive]

I pretty much said the same thing Skuzzy said, but he said it nicer.